Google informs me that it's now the Lunar New Year. Growing up―and in fact until very recently―I'd always heard of it as Chinese New Year. Wonder why it changed. Sure, China isn't the only place that celebrates it, but it did originate there. And the colorful parades are Chinese in origin.
Anyway, the Year of the Tiger is starting, so let's celebrate.
2 comments:
It appears to be true that the people who traditionally celebrate the holiday do name it Lunar new year. I guess we all simply assumed it was Chinese New Year because it was always Chinatowns that celebrated it.
Everyone knows the Chinese culture itself is old but it can be hard to keep in mind just how old. When I was reading through some recent articles in Ancient Origins a few days ago I happened upon this one about the origins of the Lunar New Year celebrations. That the customs may date back at least 3400 years is pretty impressive. I liked The Legend of the Nian and you might too.
Let's hope it's a peaceful one no matter what it's called. Since both of us were born in Dog Years we like our comfort and a tasty biscuit now and then
You're right, and I have to admit that it's something of a research fail for me not to check the other variations on the lunisolar character. In fact the people of Vietnam also celebrate the Lunar New Year in the form of Tết, as in the Tet Offensive.
It is in fact pretty incredible how long certain Chinese traditions have lasted (in some cases very much in defiance of the Chinese government.) The lunisolar calendar might actually extend back even further, to about 2300 BC. Athens is one of the few Western cities that's even in the same ballpark.
I think in the mental first draft of this blog post I did mention that we were both born in dog years. I'm not sure why it didn't make the final cut. But yes, some biscuits are quite tasty.
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